Many lasers and amplifier systems utilize extensive opto-mechanical architectures having crystal lasers, lenses, internal minors, cooling means, other optical elements, mechanical mounts and adjustment means for these elements. Accordingly, much attention must be given mounting, adjusting and otherwise calibrating systems utilizing such opto-mechanical architectures. In addition, the more complex such an opto-mechanical system is the higher the costs to build, package, align and maintain same.
Fiber lasers and fiber amplifiers exhibit great potential for applications as high power directed energy sources. They are highly efficient due a combination of low loss and long interaction length. They can produce diffraction-limited single mode outputs, have a very high surface to volume ratio to efficiently dissipate heat and can use all-fiber couplers and reflectors to achieve monolithic, alignment-free resonant cavities. Fiber lasers and amplifiers also offer the advantages of high efficiency, minimal cooling requirements, and good beam quality. Thus, they are a good alternative to prior art opto-mechanical architectures. However, the main problem with fiber lasers and amplifiers is obtaining high power out of a fiber because it requires a significant amount of pumping power.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a fiber laser and amplifier architecture that has few or no opto-mechanical elements, such as previously listed, and that is relatively inexpensive and is easier to build, align and maintain. In addition, there is a need in the art for fiber lasers that can more efficiently pump non-linear converters such as optical parametric oscillators to obtain high power output there from.